Eltingville Club #1
Written By: Evan Dorkin
Art By: Evan Dorkin
Evan Dorkin brings back his three time award winning comic about all things fandom for a final two issue run. However, The Eltingville Comic Book, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Role-Playing Club may not make through this with all its members.
When Bill is hired at the local comic shop he is immediately believes that his life can’t get any better. He is then brought back down to Earth by the store’s owner Joe. Joe then explains to Bill what it’s really like to own a comic book shop. Almost every other sentence has a reference to another comic, movie, book or TV show. Understanding every single reference is no easy task. The amount of references Dorkin is able to squeeze in this one issue is amazing.
When Bill’s club members finally come on to the scene they personify all of the traits of the most hated of internet trolls. The book then takes an unexpected turn once the rest of the club finds Bill at his new place of employment. The club implodes in an epic battle amongst the former friends. The aftermath of which will be explored in the finale.
The Eltingville Club does have some major laughs for those that have the knowledge to get the many nerdy references littered throughout the book. Although Eltingville book club is meant to be a satire of the Fanboy phenomenon. It sometimes hit a little close to home and made me ask myself “is this what I really sound like?” On more than one occasion I had to take a step back as I found myself identifying with the characters on a rather disturbing level.
I think this is Dorkin’s goal with Eltingville book club in that he shines a bright yet humorous light on a growing issue with fandom today. Drokin’s art is not be neglected here either as it’s simple colorless pages allow for more time to be spent on characters and backgrounds allowing for more subtle references and exaggerated character expressions that really enhance the book. Barrier to entry aside it’s a book worth a look especially with this story only spanning two issues.
Review by: Shaun Washington